32 Win Special case volume?

[Hogpost]

Just for fun, and comparison, I want to load some 32 Winchester Special in black powder, as ostensibly that's the reason it was invented. But I find the internal volume of modern cases can vary wildly by brand, and is always smaller than the hundred-year-old cases. Case volume becomes important in reaching full BP power. For instance, there's a 1.5 grain difference between RP and Win 44-40 cases. So, any one ever compared the volume of various brand 32 WS cases?

(And any experience in BP loading the 32WS? Maybe someone out there is just as nuts as I am...)

[Randy Bohannon]

The idea of the .32 Win. Special was a no brainer for Winchester . Since the .32-40 was the small bore champ of the day and the .32-40 being chambered in lots of their lever gun models they had lots of barrels bored to .32 cal.
By simply making a reamer based on the 30-30 case necked up to fit the .32 bore they had a cartridge that would use both B/P and the new fangled smokeless powder. B/P was the rule of the day and the .32 Special could be reloaded by the average shooter with black powder who had been already reloading the 32-40 . Early 94’s in .32 Special had reversible elevators on the rear sight labeled Black Powder/ Smokeless to compensate for the trajectory differences. With the shallow rifling and slow twist 1:16 they are superior to the 30-30 for cast bullets, one of the several good reasons Winchester never changed barrel dimensions for the .32 Special . The 30-30 is the superior jacketed bullet shooter with deep rifling and it’s faster twist.
I have loaded B/P in the .32 Special. WW case 170 gr. RCBS ,I don’t remember how much powder, enough compressed with a .30 fiber wad to seat the bullet in the crimp groove. Accuracy was good but groups were 12” low @50 yds. Rifle needed a adjustable tang sight or different front sight, I didn’t want to change a pristine 1956 Win 94 and drill holes so I have left it alone. it is a shooter with cast and smokeless .
The differences in capacity between brass makers would be negligible in the smallish .32 case since you will need to compress the powder anyway it’s a moot point. WW has always been the “thinner’ brass than Fed.Remington,Hornady in the 45-70 and most other cartridges as well.